Craving a New Wardrobe? Rent it!
The pros and cons of renting wardrobe pieces for special days and every day, by Katie Carreiro
My household is still recovering from my brother in law’s black tie wedding last weekend. For a year, we prepped and planned, and I worked on dressing my nearest and dearest. The men had it easy and looked great in the Black Tux (which I’m sure many have heard of). I myself rented a dream of a Dolce & Gabbana dress for the rehearsal dinner through a stylist-only resource here in Los Angeles, while my friends discussed their experiences with Rent the Runway.
With all the talk about rentals, I remembered it was high time I wrote about the subject. And, after surveying the vast landscape of fashion rental services here are my takeaways:
If you love accessories especially handbags, you are totally missing out if you’re not renting, for what a luxury bag now costs in 2024, you could get your hands on 10x the bags in a years time, and isn’t that just more fun? SWITCH and Vivrelle are both similar in offer and price, about $45 a month for one piece at a time including Chanel and LV. Switch feels more accessible with more fun pieces
Last winter, I tried the rental box ModLux but was underwhelmed by the selection of pieces. The opposite I’ve found true of Rent the Runway which always seems like an endless and overwhelming place, yet she’s still the best value on the best variety of quality brands. My bohemian loving hair stylist tells me she enjoys renting from, Nuuly. Vince has their own subscription, called Vince Unfold that makes me wish I was taller.
The brands at Armoire feel cheap, better at FashionPass, and if you want designer: TheLuxeLend looks good.
Here’s my arguments mostly FOR “shopping” via rental -
For:
Saves money while letting you experiment with or indulge your style.
Great for someone who gets excited to try new things.
Allows you to test out new styles to find what exactly feels right for you.
I’m someone who usually knows if i want to buy something right when i put it on, but renting gives you time in the drivers seat of limitless pieces, different brands and styles and then if you fall in love and want to buy it (like I did with an LnA piece from ModLuxe), you can buy it for a discount.
Keeps your actual closet on the minimal side
Rental strategy hack: invest in your perfect build-block basics like denim and solid color shirting, rent the statement pieces you’re drawn to.
Against:
It can feel a bit impersonal, unlike an old favorite or a vintage piece.
Renting involves much more searching and scrolling online. If you don’t enjoy shopping online, simply buying something will end your search.
It’s not easy to plan what you’ll wear more than a week in advance for clothing availability reasons.
If you buy quality items, consider resale value, Croissant the app will guarantee a buy back price on your purchase.
My opinion now after renting 1 big look and buying another. Not one approach to shopping is better than the other because both ways feel like a lot of effort these days. So, like all things, I’m going to aim for a balance and enjoy the perks of thrifting, paying retail, and renting all together, but also as infrequently as possible (totally impossible) because I’m not quite in love with the idea that so much of my life is spent figuring out what to wear…..there are more important things.